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readingwithadi's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
dawnhosmer's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent book that is hard to put down once you start. Lots of twists and turns that keep the reader guessing until the end.
falconerreader's review against another edition
4.0
I feel a need to go read a few sweet MG novels and a fluffy romance or two to clean my palate now. That was seriously creepy. Looking at the ratings on here, this definitely seems to be a love-it-or-hate-it book. I didn't think it was perfect, but I had a great time reading it.
For much of the book, things are so WEIRD. I was sorely tempted to skip ahead just to get out of the confused nightmare feeling of it all. I knew that if as a reader I was feeling so disoriented and unable to tell fantasy from reality, Justine must have felt a thousand times worse. But I trusted Hannah and just kept reading, and eventually all the blurry pictures came into focus.
My issues with the book are the behaviors of the school staff and the final resolution. The first could be partially explained by the crazy-making behavior of Anne (although I still don't buy that the entire school would fall victim to it), and the other was believable enough; I just didn't like it. I wanted Justine to get free entirely.
And I LOVE that
For much of the book, things are so WEIRD. I was sorely tempted to skip ahead just to get out of the confused nightmare feeling of it all. I knew that if as a reader I was feeling so disoriented and unable to tell fantasy from reality, Justine must have felt a thousand times worse. But I trusted Hannah and just kept reading, and eventually all the blurry pictures came into focus.
My issues with the book are the behaviors of the school staff and the final resolution. The first could be partially explained by the crazy-making behavior of Anne (although I still don't buy that the entire school would fall victim to it), and the other was believable enough; I just didn't like it. I wanted Justine to get free entirely.
And I LOVE that
Spoiler
Malachay is a dog.katykat_reads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
ccopeland28's review against another edition
3.0
This was an interesting story and I have never read anything like it. It is like you get a bonus book because there is a story within a story.
The Merrison family moves to Devon so that the mother, Justine, can have a fresh start. The daughter, Ellen, changes temperament and eventually reveals that she is upset because her best friend, George, was expelled from school. When Justine checks into this, she is told that there was and is no George at the school. This is all bewildering to her and so the mystery begins. Amidst all of this, Justine also starts receiving phone calls from someone who insists that Justine is actually Sandy. And then finally, intertwined is the story Ellen is writing for school. It seems as though it is plagiarized, or at the very least a retelling of a true story. But, Justine can't find anything of the sort in any google searches.
What the what is going on??? Exactly.
The Merrison family moves to Devon so that the mother, Justine, can have a fresh start. The daughter, Ellen, changes temperament and eventually reveals that she is upset because her best friend, George, was expelled from school. When Justine checks into this, she is told that there was and is no George at the school. This is all bewildering to her and so the mystery begins. Amidst all of this, Justine also starts receiving phone calls from someone who insists that Justine is actually Sandy. And then finally, intertwined is the story Ellen is writing for school. It seems as though it is plagiarized, or at the very least a retelling of a true story. But, Justine can't find anything of the sort in any google searches.
What the what is going on??? Exactly.
wesleywesley's review against another edition
2.0
There's a mystery hidden somewhere in this book, but it gets old quick when the reasoning for everything is "because they're crazy."